I’m just getting into wood working, and taking the advise of everyone here I am trying to buy the 2nd saw now.

I think I’ve got it narrowed down to the two saws that I’d like to focus on. I’ve read the multitude of reviews on the 0715P.

Contender #1.

Grizzly 0715P.

Pros (In my humble newbie opinion).

1. Price (pretty standard, doesn’t appear to go on sale and I actually like that), $859 to the door.2. Customer Service (from what I hear its good?)3. Appears to be a good fence, which I value highly.4. Fit and Finish looks good, reviews speak highly of the saw.

Cons

1. Internet Order, I am struggling with ordering my first major saw from an online retailer without getting my hands on it first.2. 1 year warranty. Am I over thinking this? Is a saw something that will either be DOA or not?3. Table mounted trunnions.

I darn near pressed the order button today, but needed some thoughts first. I even had their 7944 drill press included in the order, but I think I have removed that and might go with the Ridgid DP1550 instead due to price and good reviews.

Contender #2.

General International 50-200R

Pros (In my humble newbie opinion).1. Cabinet Mounted Trunnions2. Local store, and service.3. Quite a large cast iron top.4. Name Recognition for resale if necessary.5. 5 Year warranty from GI, this kinda sticks out to me, but am I over valuing this?

Cons1. I did not like the fence the local dealer had on it, and its bothering me. Its probably the #1 reason why I haven’t just purchased from them. It seemed like it was aluminum and had quite a bit of give either way prior to it being locked down, big big minus for me.2. Price, $999 but I think I can get them down to just $899 if I offer to buy a mobile mount and blade from their shop, but who knows. I actually got them to deal if I included the GI 50-200M1 drill press ($499), for a total of $1420 + tax. Its not a good enough deal for me.3. I’d have to haul it back to my house, which isn’t a huge deal.

Thanks so much, I’ve spent probably 3-4 weeks on craigslist looking for saws (everyone wants too much for their crappy craftsman), while I worked on my wife ever so slowly to allow me to buy one of these, lol. (she finally gave in!) Just need a bit of expertise from the long time folks here, who can help me make my decision.

13 replies so far

I was initially going to mention that having cabinet mounted trunnions is a significant advantage for the GI because they’re easier to reach and they add a lot of additional mass….however, the listed weight prompted me to check out the exploded pictorial in the online manual. From what I can tell it does not appear that this particular GI saw uses the same yoke style cabinet mounted trunnions found on many industrial cabinet saws, and hybrids made by Steel City/Orion. The best I can tell is that these “cabinet mounted” trunnions bolt through the front and rear struts of the cabinet, not to the corners of the cabinets, which doesn’t appear to make them any easier to reach, and doesn’t add any mass. There may still be some advantages in this design, but it’s worth at least noting that these are not the same style “cabinet mounted” trunnions that many of us view to have a big advantage over table mounted trunnions.

With that said, GI is a great company (as is Grizzly), and the price looks pretty reasonable to me. I haven’t seen the fence on the GI so can’t comment….is the main tube made of aluminum or steel? If it’s a matter of not sliding smoothly or not being adjusted properly, those issues are easily remedied. If you haven’t seen the fence on the Griz in person, you really don’t know whether or not you like that fence either. GI has other fence options (like the excellent General T-fence) ...would they consider a fence upgrade?

A 5 year warranty is certainly worth something, but most machines that are going to have a problem will fail fairly early on, so the dealer support becomes the more significant factor IMHO. FWIW, I’ve read no comments from anyone owning the 50-200R, but have read several positive comments from owners of the G715P. It’s really a flip of the coin. With a good blade and good alignment, both should provide great service.

Wish I could help more….good luck with your decision.

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

Thanks so much for taking the time to look into the engineering of the GI.

I feel like I am splitting hairs with either of these saws. The fence for the GI appears to be all aluminum to me. The give/variance on the fence I’m sure could be corrected, it kind of left a sour taste in my mouth for me and it just didn’t seem that good. Maybe it was the Delta UNI with the Biese fence on it right next to it that spoiled me.

You are correct on the trunnions for the GI. I took the throat plate off, and I could see the bolts on the front and back, not on the corners. I really thought the blade adjustments were good on the GI, very easy to turn the vertical adjustment.

With the Grizzly I feel I am going completely based off of other peoples reviews not having seen the saw in person.

Your right, I haven’t seen anyone review the 50-200R, maybe I could be the first.

If the GI’s fence is a front locking t-square design that’s using an aluminum tube, it’ll definitely have more give than a steel tube. If it’s dual locking (front and rear), it’ll be stiff enough, but will be more prone to skewing out of parallel. As always, there’s never a free lunch.

-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

Yes indeed the GI fence is Aluminum and locks only at the operator end. Mine works well but it is not built to high tolerances. It varies top to bottom and end to end, not a whole lot but if you’re the type that must have everything tight to less than .001” I don’t think you’ll be happy with the Aluminum fence. All that said it’s still a really nice saw.

-- When questioned about using glue on a garbage bin I responded, "Wood working is about good technique and lots of glue........I have the glue part down."

If I were buying another TS I would probably choose the grizzly. I buy a lot of stuff online even though I do not get a hands on feel for them. By looking at the pictures can give me somewhat a good idea of what i’ll be getting usually.

I don’t like the aluminum fence at all. I’m sure you can get a upgraded fence for the GI, but like you said, there aren’t many reviews out there at all. I take the reviews from people like Scott to be very valuable and trusting. Either one is a good choice, but I would sway toward the Grizzly because i’ve bought quite a few machines from them and there are lots of reviews on that saw.

Other nice ones from grizzly are the 690 and the 1023RL, but they are quite a bit more than the 715p which I believe is a really good deal.

Actually I ordered the Grizzly this morning, and the DP1550. I look forward to posting both in the review section once they arrive.

I really didn’t like the aluminum fence either, it just felt cheap. If they had put a Beise or clone on the GI I might have purchased it.

For those of you who have ordered tools before over the internet, are there any helpful tips I should know prior to the delivery? For example I was thinking of taking a picture of the crate/box that the saw comes in for documentation purposes, and checking it over very good for damage prior to signing the delivery document. Should I go as far as to open the package and make sure there is no internal damage prior to signing the delivery document?

I’ve only ever ordered items under 50 pounds on the internet, so this is definitely something different in terms of weight for me.

Did you get the lift gate service? It’s like 25 bucks extra I believe. Make sure you inspect everything and make note on the slip if there is any damage at all. In my last case on buying my jointer which weighed about 585 lbs there was not even the slightest scuff mark on either box. I would take pictures also if there were any damage to the boxes. If there’s damage to the boxes take them out and inspect it before the driver leaves. Note it on the slip. You don’t have to accept the package either if it’s damaged.

I would probably have a friend over to help you bring the stuff into your shop. Luckily both drivers i’ve had have been helpful and moved it 80 feet about it right into my shop.

Get some mineral spirits and some towels to get the protective grease off the cast iron. Doesn’t take long for this. Just take your time and make sure everything is parallel, blade is correct, the fence has a runout of 0.002-0.003

Wax the table with something like Johnsens paste wax from Lowes or HD after cleaning. Make you a zero clearance insert to replace your throat for cleaner cuts.

You may know all of this already, but thought I’d suggest it anyway though.

I’ve come from benchtop table saws to a nice cabinet saw, the grizzly 1023SL. I’ve used a few bigger grizzly TS’s and a couple of the contracters saws they have on their site right now. You should be quite happy with your TS :)

Yes, I did get the lift gate service. Hopefully they will be able to back the truck up to my 3rd stall (where my shop is) and unload it right there. Good point on the friend being over, hopefully they bring it over after my work, then I might be able to get my brother in law to help. He is quite handy (finished his own basement), and has an eye for things that don’t look quite right.

I’ll be sure and take pictures, along with the review that I will post as I assemble it. I enjoy writing reviews.

I recently purchased the 50-200R from my local Woodcraft store. I like the saw so far. I have not had a lot of time to put it to the test. I am however having a hard time finding a zero clearance or dado insert. My local store and the WC website do not have them listed. I thought I would ask here if anyone has purchased an insert and where they found it. Thank you.

I’ve always made my own. Here is a video showing how if you are interested. I just don’t see myself paying for something that I can make myself that is as easy as that. Of course if you don’t have a router, then that may not be a possibility.

If you make one I would use plywood, mdf, phenolic, or even the carving boards that are clear you can buy at wal-mart.